A Star's Descent: Book Two: Star Fall

By evolution-500

Disclaimer: House of the Dead and Resident Evil are properties belonging to SEGA and Capcom respectively. I do not own any of these characters.

WARNING: This story contains violence, coarse language, mature and disturbing themes and imagery. Reader discretion is advised.

Chapter Seventeen: Alone

Flames wavered unsteadily on the wall-mounted candelabra as Star moved past.

"...Hello?" he called in a tiny, fear-filled voice.

He had checked around the various corners, but no matter how many times he called, no matter where he looked, the library remained barren. Only Star remained.

'Where have they gone?' he wondered.

What the hell happened?

One moment, they were all here. The next, the group just vanished.

And Rebecca-!

The red-draped looked around with uncertainty.

Was he going crazy?

He just saw Rebecca being lifted by some invisible force, and Star didn't know what to make of it.

At first, Star thought of raising his radio to contact someone, but he stopped himself from doing so as fear gnawed at his soul. He worried of the possibility of endangering someone by attracting enemies to their position, but his greatest worry, however, was the very real possibility of nobody answering.

The hood shifted as he turned his head from side to side in anxiousness, his troubled mind conflicted.

What should he do?

On one hand, Star wanted to help the other survivors; not only was it the morally right thing to do, but he really wanted to prove himself to them. On the other hand, though...he didn't know how. He wasn't a soldier, nor was he a police officer. At best, he was a freakish university student that spent his time burying himself in books and practiced martial arts, which made it unlikely to be of any use to an elite unit such as S.T.A.R.S. Even worse, Star deeply feared the possibility of proving himself right about his suspicions.

The albino froze.

Was...was this an indication that Umbrella was taking control of him?

Star swallowed, his chest beating in an anxious rhythmic pulse as he eyed his surroundings.

How would he even know if such a thing were to happen?

A multitude of thoughts swarmed the youth's brain as he contemplated the best course of action to take. His first immediate thought was to flee...but he then thought of Rebecca, of her tear-filled green eyes as she pleaded to him for help.

His gloved hands tightened into fists as he stared impotently to the floor.

'What about Rebecca, you fool?!' one side berated. 'Are you just going to leave her for dead?!'

'How do I even know that was real?!' he countered. 'How do I know my feelings for her aren't constructs that were made by Umbrella?! How do I know she wasn't part of the test?! Are my own thoughts my even own...or are they Umbrella's?!'

'So you're just going to let her die just to prove to yourself that you have personal autonomy.'

Star hesitated, startled by the thought.

No. It would be wrong.

And yet...he had no idea what to do.

He wasn't brave Theseus or mighty Heracles.

He wasn't cunning Odysseus.

He wasn't Perseus.

He wasn't Lancelot or any of the knights of the Round Table. He wasn't Same Spade or Phillip Marlowe.

He wasn't even Dante, let alone Vergil.

He feared the very real possibility of it all backfiring. What if in attempting to rescue he ended up making things worse? What certainty was there that he wasn't under Umbrella's influence right now, hunting them? If he were to rescue...would it be a rescue, or would it be a delusion? A delusion created as he murdered S.T.A.R.S.?

'You can't just leave!' Part of him insisted. 'Mother needs you! Father needs you! Rebecca needs you! Don't you love them?!'

Star's pauldron-clad shoulders sagged.

That was the problem. While he didn't know how to feel about the man who he believed to be his father, Star cared enormously about Eleanor and Rebecca. But...if he was right about himself, about his assumptions...

Letting out a deep, regretful sigh, he closed his scarred eyes.

"Mother, Father...Rebecca...I'm sorry."

Turning to the entrance, Star walked forward and reached out for the door.

Rebecca's head spun as the world swirled around her, the air shimmering and distorted as she screamed, the sound coming out as a sort of watery, gurgling echo.

The medic had no idea where she was, let alone what was happening.

She felt as if she were moving so fast it was a miracle that she didn't burst into flame. Grabbing her collar was a long three-clawed arm, but she couldn't see its owner.

Colors phased around her in electrical arcs, some of them so strange and alien-looking that Rebecca herself wasn't sure if there were words to describe them. Violets of such hue that they seemed almost metallic. Light hues of blue that shined and sparkled like diamonds, and others she had trouble identifying. Looking dazedly at her surroundings, she watched as everything seemed to move at a snail's pace. She saw a zombie slowly turning on its heel, moving as if it were underwater. Rebecca felt herself dragged through numerous levels of the mansion, passing Star several times in the library. Several times she tried calling out to him, but his movement was so sluggish and slow that he almost looked like a statue in motion.

Rolling her eyes back, Rebecca felt herself slip out of consciousness.

Star wandered the gloomy halls and corridors, tired and alone. Looking over his shoulder, he gave a sad sigh as he proceeded forward. Stepping back into the main hall, the albino was just about to climb down the stairs when a door opened, causing him to duck and hide behind a section of railing. Peeking down below, Star felt his pulse quicken. He was both overjoyed and horrified all at once, watching as Captain Wesker stepped into the light, his golden hair sparkling like a halo.

"Father," he whispered softly, his chest a beating storm.

Star attentively studied his movements, his posture especially.

'Such strength and assurance!' he marveled.

This was a man, someone who held himself with dignity and who knew what he wanted.

As Wesker stepped into the middle of the hall, a series of moans echoed, causing him to whip around, his back facing the albino. Star watched in horror as several zombies stepped out from the shadows all around the S.T.A.R.S. Captain with their arms outstretched, lumbering stiffly toward him, completely encircling the Alpha like sharks drawn to blood.

'No, NO! FATHER!' Star thought in alarm.

It was finally happening before his eyes! This wasn't a reunion; this was a killing floor!

I need to get out of here! I need to save Father from Umbrella! I have to get out before it's too-

Before the youth even had a chance to react, Wesker proceeded to quickly and methodically dispatch the undead, his accuracy and speed unwavering.

Star stared, watching and studying his movements in awe.

The way in which Wesker moved was so fast and efficient - every time he fired, dodged, sidestepped, struck and/or reloaded was so perfectly timed that it was almost like clockwork, so perfectly coordinated. There were dozens of enemies, and yet he moved with such grace and precision!

"Incredible!" Star gasped quietly.

He no longer looked like a mere man. To Star, he looked like a warrior, a Greek hero or demigod stepping out from the long-forgotten pages of antiquity into the modern world, a son of Zeus!

As he watched, the albino grimaced in pain.

He was on the streets of Venice, the air thick with the smell of gunpowder, decaying flesh and strange chemicals. Venetian gothic architecture and buildings loomed around him and the man in grey as they fought through an alley, their targets charging toward them with hungry snarls as they were blown away bit by bit.

"Goddamn things are everywhere," the man muttered as he took out a moss-covered cadaver with precision. "We need to get to Sunset Bridge and link up with Harry and Amy as soon as possible."

Star stirred, crinkling his brows in confusion.

"Harry"? "Amy"? Who-

A gunshot distracted him, cutting him off as he turned back to the scene below.

Standing victoriously over the bodies of his enemies, his back turned to Star, Wesker swept his hands through his hair, the lone victor of the battle brushing something off from his black shirt.

"Disgusting creatures."

Star swallowed. So that's what he sounded like!

Rising up from behind the banister, Star opened his mouth to call out when he suddenly paused, drawing back in alarm.

'Oh my God, Father! I need to get away! I'm putting him in danger! I-'

Twisting around, the albino reached for the door behind him, then hesitated.

'Wait a minute,' came the thought.

Looking back to the floor down below, the teenager watched Wesker as he counted up the ammunition within his clip, seemingly not noticing the albino's presence up above as he waited in dreaded anticipation.

Once the S.T.A.R.S. Captain finished, he inserted the clip back into his pistol, rolling his shoulders and neck with a crack as he moved to a door beside the exhibition room, leaving Star alone in the main hall.

Star remained where he stood, glancing down at his gloved hands and studied his person.

'Nothing happened,' Star thought in wonder. His clothes were slightly stained and cut, but aside from that, nothing else. There were no indications of fresh blood anywhere on him.

Nothing happened!

With Wesker so vulnerable, Umbrella could have activated him right then and there...but they didn't. They could have taken advantage of the situation and activated him at any moment during that confrontation, and yet...nothing happened.

I don't understand. What does this mean?

The albino looked around in confusion.

This doesn't make any sense. He was so certain about his being Umbrella's weapon. It explained the scars on his body, so why-

It was then that it finally hit him, his eyes widening in realization.

"I'm...I'm not under Umbrella's control," he spoke softly. "Father still lives. I'm not under their control."

Umbrella may have created him, but Star's actions were entirely his own!

Upon that realization, he allowed himself to smile. "Umbrella has no control over me!" Star said in excitement.

Had he been so consumed with fear that he allowed himself to fall under its influence?

Closing his eyes with a sigh, a soft, boyish chuckle rumbled through his chest, the albino shaking his head in disbelief and amusement as he wiped his forehead. He'll still need to get himself checked just in case, but the fact that Umbrella didn't control his actions relieved him immensely.

Thank God.

Exhaling, Star reopened his eyes.

Well, I guess it's time to make my introduction.

Clearing his throat, Star nervously adjusted his coat, looking himself over to make sure he was somewhat presentable.

"Nice to meet you, Captain. A pleasure to meet you, Captain," he rehearsed aloud, imagining his father before him. Clearing his throat again, Star started over, this time deepening his voice. His scarred eyes narrowed in concentration as he tested the words again, starting a third time, then a fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh, modulating his voice over and over and over again until he found the desired result.

"A pleasure to meet you, Captain," came the flat, velvety baritone.

He tested it repeatedly, then gave a satisfied nod. Taking in a deep shaky breath, Star took one step toward the stairs when he suddenly paused, looking back over his shoulder at the dining room as he thought of Rebecca. Looking back to where Wesker had disappeared, Star shifted uncomfortably in indecision.

'Go to Father!' Part of him urged. 'You need him! He can help save Rebecca!'

The albino frowned.

No. He wasn't ready to approach the Captain yet. He feared his reaction. He greatly feared being rejected, and he wasn't ready for that...but that wasn't the main reason.

He needed to find Rebecca himself. It was because of him that she was in this mess in the first place. He was not going to let what happened to Officer Sullivan happen to her. Not if he could help it.

Looking to the door next to the exhibition room, Star sadly lowered his eyes.

"...Forgive me, Father," he said softly, "but there is something I must do. I have grievously erred. I'm sorry for being such a coward and for being so selfish, for being such a disgrace. I'm sorry for being what I am, but...I promise you...when we finally meet…..I...I...I promise that I will be worthy of you."

The albino dipped his head down in shame and respect. "Thank you for showing me the way, and please forgive me for what I have done. I-I promise I will make you proud, Father. Please stay alive and safe."

Grabbing his bags, Star gave the door down below one last considerate look, then disappeared back into the shadows.